Car-coupling



(N0 Model.)

H. BRIDGE. GAR OUPLING. No. 519,231. Patented May 1, 1894.

`sufran STATES HORACE BRIDGE, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-CCUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 519,231,"dated May 1,1894.`

Application led september 15,1893. Seriana/185.630. camada) .To aZZ whomit may concern.- p'

Be it known that I,HORACE BRIDGE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, In the county of Cook andSt'ate of Illinois, haveinvented a Car-Coupler and Draw-Bar, of which the following is aspecification.

Y My invention relates to improvementsin car couplings, in which theCoupling pin acts automatically upon the introduction of the couplinglink-.in common use and in which the operation of uncoupling is easilyand safely performed from the side or top of the car,

i ling consistent with couple from the the pin being retained in thedrawhead by a mechanism to `be explained.`

Other improvements consist in the introduction of a movable link slide,so that the link may be introduced entirely within the drawhead uponmeeting a solid obstruction,

and returned to the coupling position upon the removal 0f theobstruction; also in the posterior end of the drawbar being occluded byamovable block, perforated vertically and horizontallyfor the passage ofbolts.

The objects of my invention are as followsz-to afford the simplest formof coupthe conditions required by railway car service, 'i'. e., strengthto endure great tension, solidity and firmness to Withstandconcussion,facility in operation, dac; to supply a means for the automatic couplingof cars;` to enable employs to unside or top of cars; to furnish anefficient automatic coupling apparatus of such construction, that itscost shall be but little in excess of the ordinary nonautomaticcouplers, and that the expense of operating it and repairingit maybereduced to the minimum. I attain these objects by the mechanismillustrated inthe accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a vertical section y ratus in the median line, with thecoupling pin in locked position; Fig. 2, a view in perspective of thesame. Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6, views of the couplingpin and other partsrequired in the construction of this apparatus. Similar letters refer tosimilar parts in the different figures.

The words anterior, posterior, superior and inferior apply to theapparatus and its parts as they appear in Fig. l. d p The drawhead, 13,has an opening anteof the appariorly for the introduction `of the link,with symmetrical sides, but the lower surface, q, extending fartherposteriorly than `the upper surface, 7`, and farther downward from thecentral pointof the link `passage thanthe'upper surface, ,7', extendsupward fromthe same point, so that, when the link rests on the oor ofthe passage in the horizontal poi sition for coupling, it is equidistantfrom the anterior edges at the top and bottom of the opening. Thisop'ening is Haring for the guidance of the link tothe center of thepassage. Snperiorly there is a passage, ca which extends from the uppersurface of the drawhead downward and forward into the link passage at anangle approximating thirty degrees with the perpendicular. `It isenlarged by a recess, 5, anteriorly, also by a space, 0, posteriorly andsuperiorly, for the requisite automatic movements of the coupling pin;laterally also the walls of the passage, ca are somewhat excavated,partially indicated by, z, to provide for the possibility of the pointof the coupling pin being bent sidewise and to permit its withdrawalfrom the drawhead. 0n the floor of the link passage thereis asocket, d,to receive the point of the coupling pin, 8. Its anterior surface,d, isinclined from belo'w upward and forward at an angle approximatingforty-five degrees with the perpendicular. Posterior to the socket, d,is

the 4continuation anteriorly of the drawbar passage, 2, terminatedby thestop, la which is a plane-vertical surface atright angles to the axis ofthe drawbar, rising to the iioor of the link passage, and may be locatedat a variable distance from the socket, 01.

The anteriorsurfaces of the passage, tu and i of the socket, d, (a/ andd) being inclined forward to a common point hold the coupling Ypin themore firmly the greater 'the traction exerted upon 4it by the link, andwhen traction ceases leave the pin perfectly free for withdrawal. Thelink passage of thedrawy head is continued into the drawbar to per- -mitthe entire penetration of the `link Within the drawhead. Exteriorly, onthe sides of the 'dravvhead and infericrly, are ribs to strengthen thelips of the anterior opening. The posterior vertical surface, g, servesas a stop to the introduction of the drawbar, when the resistance `ofthe drawbar springs has been taken up. No buffers are required with theuse of this apparatus.

The drawbar, A, is adapted anteriorly to the complete introduction ofthe link within the drawhead. It is hollow throughout its entirelength,the passage being square, with rounded corners, and extending about halfway through the drawhead. In this passage, 'i, the link slide, 0,operates; it is terminated anteriorly by the stop, 7c, which may, or maynot, be located at a point sufficiently anterior to allow the link slideto hold the link in apposition with the coupling pin. In the posteriorend of the body are lateral and vertical holes, through which passbolts, .I, which secure the block, 1), and the clamp, 1. The followers,G, the clamp, I, and the two drawbarsprings, not shown, are like thosein common use and need no description.

rPhe occluding block, D, is nearly cubicalin form; it has two verticaland lateral perforations, L for t-he bolts, J corresponding to twosimilar perforations in the end of the drawbar above and below; also ahorizontal one, 071, for the bolt, H. The block serves as a base for thespring, which operates the link slide, 0; it solidly occludes the end fthe drawbar and holds the bolt, I-I, which together with the clamp, 1,holds the drawbar springs in position and withstands the force oftraction.

The link slide, C, is a spring actuated, chambered block adapted toantero-posterior movements in the passage ot' the drawbar, 1, and to iitthe same. It has a squared front end provided with a link seat, ornotch,

f. The lower part of its anterior surface is a vertical plane at rightangles to the axis of the link slide, of equal dimensions with the stop,7c, and adapted to meet the same, thus checking the anterior movement ofthe link slide.

The link seat or notch, f, is `an excavation; its deepest point isdistant in a vertical line from the floor of the link passage, when thelink slide is in position, one half the thickness of the link. Belowthis point vthe surface is concave, approximating a quarter circle, andextends to the superior edge of the vertical plane above described.Above this point the surface extends in the line of the circleforty-five degrees; it then continues .convex describing the segment ofa circle having for its center a point situated in a straight line,passing through the center and last point of the last segment described,and nally becomes-merged in the front end of the block at or near itssuperior edge. Against this surface, f, the end of the link, restingV onthe floor of the passage, is applied, and the link retained in thehorizontal position for coupling; also when the contiguous drawheadrequires the deflection downward of the free end of the link and theconsequent rising of the engaged end to eect coupling, this movement ispermitted by the requisite retirement of the link slide as the link endslides upward. The cylindrical chamber, 05, is adapted to receive theanterior end of the link slide spring, Fig. 6. Its walls, when incoupling position extend posteriorly just beyond the inner end of thelink passage, closing the interior of the drawbar against the weather,dust, dac., yet allowing suficient retrocession of the link slide, whenpushed by the link, as to admit of the entire introduction of the linkwithin the drawhead; they are also of sufficient length to insure theantero-posterior movements of the link slide with the minimum offriction. Link slide andspring are of large size to insure eiiiciency,and introduced by the posterior end of the drawbar.

Fig. 5 is the coupling pin. The posterior and anterior surfaces of thebody, 0 and p, are rounded to run smoothly in the passage, a, Fig. l.Superiorly is the half link, m irmly embedded, to which a chain, orother device, can be attached, so that the pin can be drawn upward inthe operation of uncoupling. The point of the pin, 8, is rounded andwedge shaped; its posterior surface, t, is nearly vertical; its anteriorsurface, 'c, is inclined from above downward and backward at an anglewith the perpendicular approximating forty-five degrees. The pin and itscontaining passages are so fashioned, that the entering link pushes itup with only the resistance of gravity, and the minimum of resistancefrom friction to be overcome, its point being carried in the posteriordirection only the fractional part ot' an inch, and then upon strikingthe point, 1.0, being thrown upward, as is permitted by the recess, 12,and space, 0, Fig. 1, the pin falling to the locked position, when thelink has passed. The pin cannot be thrown out of the drawhead by theentering link, nor pulled out by its attachments at the side or top ofthe car, but may easily be removed by hand.

The link slide spring operates in the spaces, and fi, Fig. l, and holdsthe link slide in coupling position. It is strong enough to push thelink into the connecting drawhead, and to force up its coupling pin; incase, however, the link meets a solid obstruction, it will force backthe link slide, until it, the link, is entirely within the drawheadunbent and unbroken.

The operation of coupling, when cars furs nished with this apparatuscome together is as followsz-The link is pushed back in one draw head,until the engaged end rests in the seat, f, and remains in thehorizontal position on the floor of the link passage. The coupling pinsin both drawheads are held in the locked position, as in Fig. l. As thecars come together the free point of the link held in one drawhead isdeflected to the center of the openingin the etherdrawhead byitsflarward and backward.

ing surfaces; it strikes the pin forcing it up- "The link having passedthe pin falls to the locked position. p

Operation of uncoupling: The coupling pin Vmay'be withdrawn by `means ofa crank rod running to either side of the car, or by a rod running tothe top ofthe car, both attached by a short chain to the coupling pin;or by chain and pulley; or `byl other device. i

Having thus fully described my invention,

`what I claim as new, and desire to secure by LettersPaten t, is- Y l.The combination in a car coupling of` a drawhead having a Haring openinganteriorly with"symtnetricalsides, but with `the lower surfaceextendingfarther downward than the upper surface extends upward,`from the centralpoint of the link passage, and also extending farther backward; havingan oblique passage,`, d, extendingfrom the superior surface of the headdownward and forward at an angle with the perpendicular approximatingthirty degrees, with the recess, 5, anteriorly, the space, c,posteriorly, and the depressions, ,c,laterally; having the depression orsocket, CL in the floor of the link passage, with its anterior surfaced, in-

clined from below upward and forward at an angle with the perpendicularapproximating forty-five degrees; having a link passage con- `tinuedinto the drawbar of sufficient length to admit of the entireintroduction of the link within the drawhead, and a link slide passa-ge;L terminated anteriorly by the stop, 10,

extending through the drawbar, being rect- 35,

angular and provided with rounded corners and at its rear end with twolateral and v'ertical holes as described. e

2. The combination in a car coupling of an automatic coupling pin, thebody being flat 4o perforated with two lateral and vertical holes,

and one horizontal hole, bolts substantially as and forth.

for the passage of HORACE BRIDGE. Witnesses:

CHARLES R. ILIFE, B. J. JENKINS.

inclined 45 for the purpose set 55

